


Thinking Out Loud

by sunnyseabreeze



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, fuckin sappy-ass song fic, gross fluff, i'm like 95 percent sure this will have a second chapter btw, they have a kid, tune in to see B) B)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-14 01:15:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5723992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnyseabreeze/pseuds/sunnyseabreeze
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I want to be yours forever.” Rin confesses, soft and embarrassed but there nonetheless. Makoto laces their fingers together, brushing his thumb delicately over Rin’s hand.<br/>“You will be.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Thinking Out Loud

_When your legs don't work like they used to before,_

_And I can't sweep you off of your feet,_

_Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love?_

_Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks?_

 

It’s always so lovely, spending time with Rin. He always knows exactly where to take Makoto, whether it be to go on a grand adventure together, or to simply stay at home. Makoto never cares where they end up going, he just loves sharing as many moments with Rin as he can. The fact that Makoto knows for absolute certain that Rin feels the same always brings a smile to his lips. He has never felt so unconditionally loved before, and even thinking about it brings butterflies to his stomach.

This time in particular, they’re laying in the grass watching the sunset. It’s an absolutely perfect moment, but then again, all moments with Rin are. They’re so close that it’s almost as if they’re one person, so completely immersed in each other that the outside world simply fades away.

“Makoto,” Rin asks, his voice soft as he absentmindedly plays with a bit of Makoto’s sandy brown hair. Makoto opens his eyes, giving Rin his undivided attention as well as a serene smile. Once Rin sees that, though, he turns away a moment, and Makoto swears he sees the lightest of blushes flood his cheeks.

“Do you think we’ll still be together when we’re older?” He asks, and Makoto raises an eyebrow. That’s a bit vague, so he has to clarify.

“What do you mean by ‘older?’” He asks, eyebrows a bit furrowed, and Rin thinks for a moment.

“Ten years from now,” He shrugs, “Do you think we’ll be together ten years from now?” Rin clarifies. Makoto gives a light chuckle, his tone thick with affection.

“I’d certainly like to hope so..” He replies softly, his voice hopeful. It makes the barely noticeable blush on Rin’s cheeks deepen, and Makoto presses a soft kiss to the now rosy-red skin.

“How about.. Twenty five years from now?” He asks, just for the hell of it. Makoto thinks for a moment before giving another soft chuckle.

“Well, I’ll probably be getting wrinkly by then, and my hair will be turning grey. Will you love me even if I have grey hair?” Makoto asks, and now Rin is the one to laugh.

“Of course I will.” Rin replies, repeating Makoto’s gesture from just a moment ago and kissing his cheek. He thinks of something else, it certainly seems farfetched, but he wants to see what Makoto will say.

“How about fifty years from now?” He asks, curiosity comparable to that of a child.

“Rin,” Makoto starts, and he turns to take a gentle hold on both of his hands. “I will stay with you for as long as you want me.” He replies, his expression serious, and it only makes Rin blush even harder. He speaks the first thing that comes to his mind.

“Guess we’ll be together forever, then.” Rin mutters out. Makoto grins before pressing their lips together lovingly, a gentle hand pulling away from Rin’s own, only to begin to caress his cheek. They pull away, resting their foreheads together.

“I’d like that.”  


_And, darling, I will be loving you 'till we're 70,_

_And, baby, my heart could still fall as hard at 23,_

_And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways,_

_Maybe just the touch of a hand,_

_Well, me—I fall in love with you every single day,_

_And I just wanna tell you I am_

 

An arm slips around Makoto’s waist, making his lips turn upward as he turns to press a kiss into Rin’s hair. He counts this as their biggest milestone yet, and stores as much of it away in his memory as he can. The weather is gloomy, a stark contrast to the moment they’re sharing. Here they are in Tokyo, finally living together. Sure, they had essentially been living together all throughout university, whether it be Makoto in Rin’s dorm or vice versa, they had almost always been together. But now it was official, and there had been very few moments when Makoto had felt happier than he does right now.

“We did it.” Makoto states, a smile on his face that he couldn’t get rid of even if he wanted to. Rin’s response is to hug him tightly, arms wrapping around him so firmly that it seemed as if he would never let Makoto go. But he wouldn’t have a problem with that, in all honesty. The idea of being wrapped in Rin’s arms for the rest of time is most definitely something he could live with.

“I love you,” He hears, barely there, spoken into his shoulder. The way Rin says those words, those simple three words, is his favourite. Whether it be out of the blue, excitedly, half-asleep, or anything in between, they always sound the best when they come from Rin.

“I love you too,” Makoto blushes lightly before continuing, “And I’ll love you forever, I’ll still love you just as much as I do now when we’re older, more, if anything.” He stated, and Rin can feel his cheeks heating up so he nuzzles into Makoto’s shoulder in an attempt to hide it. But Makoto immediately knows his motives, giving a soft chuckle as he starts to run gentle fingers over his boyfriend’s back. His smile grows when he remembers something.

“You know, I remember the day I fell in love with you..” He says, the blush on his own face now noticeable. That makes Rin pull away, looking into soft green.

“I remember having feelings for you when we were younger, but I was confused at first, I didn’t know what they meant, so I pushed them back..” He shrugged slightly before continuing.

“Then you left, and _god,_ I still remember the feeling. It was like my heart hurt. I had never missed someone as much as I had missed you. Then you were back, but the feeling didn’t leave. It didn’t leave because when you were first back in Iwatobi, that wasn’t you, that wasn’t the Rin I had feelings for. I needed him back.” Makoto explains, and he swears he can hear a soft muttering of _sorry,_ and it brings a momentary sad smile to his face before he continues.   

“Then there was the whole deal with the relay, and suddenly you were back, the Rin that I remembered was back and better than ever. You were happy, you were _free_ , and it was then. When you hugged Haru and Nagisa and I, and you gave me that smile, that was the exact moment I decided, _‘this is it,’_ I’m in love with Rin. And I never looked back.” He explained, the blush across his face so deep and so bright that Rin could nearly feel it. He’s awestruck by Makoto’s words, so he does the first thing he can think of.

He kisses him.

He kisses him with everything he has and everything he knows, because in this moment, he needs Makoto to know how much he loves him more than ever. He needs him to know that every single one of his feelings is reciprocated and Rin loves him just as much as he loves Rin, if not, more.

“I love you, Makoto.” Rin replies after a long moment, “I fall in love with you more and more every day. It’s like I’m falling in love with you all over again every time I wake up and see you.” He blushes hard, but it’s the truth. Everytime he sees Makoto, it’s like he’s seeing him for the first time again, every time he kisses him is like the first time, except a million times better. He can’t get enough of Makoto.

“I want to be yours forever.” Rin confesses, soft and embarrassed but there nonetheless. Makoto laces their fingers together, brushing his thumb delicately over Rin’s hand.

“You will be.”

 

_So honey now_

_Take me into your loving arms,_

_Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars,_

_Place your head on my beating heart,_

_I'm thinking out loud_

_That maybe we found love right where we are_

 

Makoto finds solace in Rin’s arms. It doesn’t matter where he is or where he’s been or where he’s going, when he’s with Rin, nothing else matters. All of his worries melt away when he looks into those eyes, those eyes that he still can’t seem to describe. They’re scarlet and magenta and they’re bright and soft and loving. They’re so loving sometimes that Makoto can’t look at them. Still, even with all this, he doesn’t think that it _nearly_ does them justice. Rin is safety to him, he’s security, he’s warmth, he’s home.

Makoto is torn from his thought when Rin calls his name. Upon looking over to him, he sees his boyfriend’s face turned upward, and he immediately sees why when he does the same. The sun has set, and he has never encountered a clearer night in Iwatobi. The stars are absolutely breathtaking, and he thinks for what is probably the millionth time how thankful he is to share such a moment with such an important person to him.

And then there are lips pressed to his. It’s unexpected but not unwelcome, _definitely_ not unwelcome. Hands slip around waists, around necks, and they once again become one, they become so close that they melt into each other, lips separating and pressing back together like an early morning tide. He has never been in a moment so perfect, and he thinks of how some people die without finding their true love, their “soulmate,” and Makoto feels so lucky, because Rin’s right here with him, and they’ve barely lived their life together yet.

“I’m so lucky that you’re mine..” Rin says, and it’s almost as if he was reading Makoto’s mind. He reaches a hand up to cup Rin’s cheek, smiling when he leans into the touch.

“I’m the lucky one.”

 

_When my hair's all but gone and my memory fades_

_And the crowds don't remember my name_

_When my hands don't play the strings the same way_

_I know you will still love me the same_

 

“Are you ready yet?” Makoto asks, looking at Rin with a smile on his face.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” He replies, and they head out of their hotel room toward the stadium. Makoto laces their fingers together. He can tell Rin’s nervous, he always gets like this before races. But he supposes that this one is a bit different.

Because this is his last one.

Rin has thought long and hard over the last year, and he’s come to the conclusion that he’s had enough. Sure, swimming was, and still is his dream, but he has also found a new dream: His life with Makoto. He’s decided that he’s ready to settle down, he’s had enough of the fame, he’s had enough of the distance that separates them when he has to travel for competition. He wants to be with Makoto, and he’s ready to devote his entire life to the one that he loves.

It hasn’t even been a moment since they’ve stepped past the front doors, a banner hanging over them reading _MELBOURNE 2024_ , when Rin is ambushed by reporters of all sorts. He makes sure to keep a tight hold on Makoto’s hand, he won’t let him get lost in the sea of journalists and news anchors.

“Matsuoka,” One of them requests, “Is it true that this will be the last part of your Olympic career?” Hearing the question, the others in the crowd quiet themselves a little.

“Ah, yes it is..” Rin replies, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s been a fantastic run, but I think I’m ready to settle down, maybe have some kids..” He explains, and that brings a flush to Makoto’s cheeks. His instincts tell him to turn away, but he can’t exactly do that at the moment, considering there are at least ten different cameras pointing at him. If he looked away from one, chances are he would only look directly into another.

“I’ve lived my childhood dream, now it’s time to let others live theirs.” He says, and that seems to please the crowd, a handful of ‘ _thank you for speaking with us’_ floating through the air. Rin gives a smile and a small nod before he turns to walk off. They talk about silly little things, they talk about the upcoming race. Rin talks about the fact that he’s nervous, and Makoto immediately comforts him, validating all of his anxieties and doing his best to soothe them.

“You aren’t one of the top-ranked butterfly swimmers in the world for nothing, you know.” He says. It helps, judging by the smile that has made its way on to Rin’s face.

They come to the entrance to the pool, about to go their separate ways. Rin grabs Makoto and kisses him, firm yet gentle, a silent _thank you_ for being here with him. Makoto reciprocates with just as much content, and they pull away after a long moment. They turn, but then Makoto takes a final look at Rin before he goes through the door.

“Make it count.” Makoto says. He gives a nod and a smile before he disappears behind the door.  

Makoto’s voice is part of the thundering applause as the results show, Rin having beat the current world record.

 

_'Cause honey your soul could never grow old, it's evergreen_

_And, baby, your smile's forever in my mind and memory_

_I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways_

_Maybe it's all part of a plan_

_Well, I'll just keep on making the same mistakes_

_Hoping that you'll understand_

  


Rin said that he wanted to settle down, and that’s exactly what he’s done.

This is everything that he ever could’ve wished for and so much more, he thinks as he watches Makoto bounce their child up and down on his knee. They had began thinking about adopting about three years ago, and they had both agreed that a surrogate would be the best option, since they wanted their child to be biologically _theirs_.     

After about a year, they had found and contacted a surrogate, agreeing that she would be the perfect choice. They helped her through the pregnancy as much as they possibly could, and the baby was born without any complications, a little girl was born, and both Makoto and Rin fell in love with her instantly. Rin would be lying if he said that he didn’t cry.        

It had been a nearly a year since the birth, and the two of them had only fell in love with her even more. Rin had suggested the name Sakura, and Makoto gave a laugh before telling him that it was absolutely perfect.

She had taken on both of their physical traits, with a sandy brown mop of hair on top of her head and a deep red pair of eyes.

They had never seen anything as perfect as she was.

She was a very happy baby, for the most part. She seemed to much prefer laughing and squealing to crying and whining, which was a relief. She absolutely adored cuddly toys, she had plenty of different animals, including a shark plush that Rin gave a very big eye roll to when Makoto brought it home one day.  

Only a couple of months ago, she had said her first words, an excited uttering of _‘papa’_ that filled Rin with more pride than he had ever felt in his whole life. The only thing that would have made that better would have been if she had said his name, which the two of them had decided would be ‘dad.’

Rin had never been so undeniably happy before, he had two people that he loved more than life itself and they were right her with him. He had everything he could ever want and so much more. He has found home not only with Makoto, but in Makoto. No matter where they end up, as long as they’re together, Rin knows he’ll be okay.

He had never used to believe in fate or anything of the sort, but now he couldn’t deny that he and Makoto were meant to be together, there had to be some sort of higher power that planned that their lives would collide. He now believed that things happened for a reason, and the reason that he and Makoto had found each other was because they were destined for each other.

He can’t help but think how silly that would sound to his teenaged self.

But that Rin is long gone. He still can’t help but regret the pain that he caused both himself and those close to him when he was younger, but he supposed that, if it weren’t for that, he wouldn’t be in this exact moment in this exact time. So it evens out, because he couldn’t think of another thing he could want in this moment with Makoto, this moment with him is absolutely perfect, as all others are. The regret fades when he thinks of that, and when he thinks about when he reconciled with everyone that had been concerned for him. That phase in his life was behind him now, there was no need to beat himself up over it.

So he returns his focus to the present, leaning in to press a kiss to Makoto’s cheek. Makoto reacts by lacing their fingers together and smiling over at him before returning his attention to their daughter. She’s sat on the floor playing with blocks, one of her favourite activities.

“I still can’t believe this is all real..” Rin says, and Makoto looks over to him with an eyebrow raised.

“What do you mean?” He asks.

“Just.. Everything. My life is too perfect, it all feels like a dream..”

But the way their lips press together a moment later is too real for Rin to imagine.  
  


_But, baby, now_

_Take me into your loving arms_

_Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars_

_Place your head on my beating heart_

_Thinking out loud_

_That maybe we found love right where we are_

 

Rin finds solace in Makoto’s arms as well. When they pull each other so close that their breathing matches and their heartbeats sync, that’s when he feels the most relaxed. Listening to the steady _thump, thump, thump_ is a steady reminder of how close they are, not only physically but mentally, spiritually, they’re connected in almost every way possible, and Rin wouldn’t have it any other way. Over the years that they had been together, they had grown closer every day, and they still continue to. Rin falls in love with Makoto more and more every day, and it brings a pleasant tingle to his chest when he thinks of how Makoto feels the same. He has never loved anyone this much, and it almost scares him how much he cares for Makoto sometimes.

But that melts away with the soothing touches, the quiet reassurances, the gentle kisses. Makoto knows how to calm him down almost instantly, just as he knows how to calm Makoto down. They can do everything for each other, they’re a team, a family.

He would even go so far as to call them “soulmates.”

 

_So, baby, now_

_Take me into your loving arms_

_Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars_

_Oh, darling, place your head on my beating heart_

_I'm thinking out loud_

 

They’ve almost lost count of the years that they’ve been together.

Of course they remember their anniversary as the day passes each year, but the exact amount of time that has passed since they had begun their relationship requires a moment or two of thought now that seasons have passed year after year. Almost everything about their lives has changed, their parents have passed on, Sakura has moved on to go to university, and they’ve even received news that she’s ready to begin a family of her own with the man that she loves.

They’ve both given their blessings to the man that had captured her heart, as he stammered out the request to marry their daughter. Makoto laughed, telling him that he reminded him of one of his old friends, a boy from his youth called Rei. That certainly eased some of the man’s tensions. It wasn’t as if they had never met this man before, but they could both see the reason behind the nervousness, they had both done the same thing when they were younger, after all. Rin claps his hand against the man’s back, giving a laugh and tell him that _of course he has their blessing._ Neither of them could imagine anyone better for their daughter than him.

As the metaphorical wedding bells begin to ring, They both can’t help but think back to their wedding day.

 

_That maybe we found love right where we are._

 

The fact that they both remember it like it was yesterday still can’t amount to the desire to watch it over again, Makoto thinks as Rin digs out an old CD, _Makoto and Rin 2027_ scrawled on it in permanent marker.


End file.
